Design Centered on Human Nature

What is Human Nature?

As beings of this earth, our natural state should not really differ from another living being such as a plant, a butterfly or a cow; but what differentiates us is a fundamental characteristic that changes the paradigm before the rest of the beings, we have a conscience.

Consciousness is a state of mind and like any state, it is not permanent. Sometimes our conscience is more present and attentive in certain circumstances.

Lao Tse, a Chinese philosopher, said that acting wisely and conscientiously meant taking into account our feelings, our current state and the people around us; and to cultivate conscience we had to follow a series of basic laws:

• Respect even the smallest beings.
• Be honest to life, with yourself and others.
• Give our sweetness and kindness in every step or encounter.
• Selflessly help and support those who need us.

As simple as we are reading it, is our natural state as beings of consciousness and it basically means living in harmony with all things.

So if I can do this, does it mean that I am in a natural state?

It is a bit more complex, but the answer is yes, although our state of consciousness is not usually permanent... Sometimes we are full of energy, joy and love, and we can respect all the animals and insects on the planet, until the point of removing a mosquito from our room instead of killing it. And other days, we are seduced by the idea of ​​killing this mosquito that filled our patience.

This happens because our state of consciousness is influenced by what we are exposing ourselves to in our daily life. All our touch points, whether with people, situations or objects, leave something in us that usually affects our feelings, emotions, thoughts or behaviors.

With these premises, I began to think that my role as a UX designer could be an opportunity for my designs to respect and promote our Human Nature:

In the first instance, I started by matching the design with one of these four Lao Tse laws, and I think it could be part of "Selflessly helping and supporting those in need". I consider that technology, design and online world comply the function of being an extension of our body. It is as Marshall McLuhan described it, a tool to make our lives easier.

"As the hand, with its extensions, explore and shapes the physical environment [...] the mind [...] orders and recovers the artificial environment of artifacts and archetypes." ~ Marshall McLuhan

What McLuhan said is that each visual component gives rise to an interpretation and modulation of being, both in our body and in our mind, influencing and altering people in an integral way.

"All tools [...] are just extensions of your limbs and senses" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here I understood that our social responsibility lives in the knowing that every piece of communication (digital or other) is interpreted as a tool, and that each one of them has the goal of providing a solution (or at least helping) to the people; but we must also take into account that this artificial component influences and alters the being, so (to maintain psycho-physical integrity) it must be Centered in Human Nature.

We would be complying our social responsibility to provide a solution to people, in harmony with their physical and mental integrity.

Some recommendations that we could keep in mind when thinking about Design Centered in Human Nature:

• Respect diversity: There are as many possible paths as there are people. Focusing on particular cases can be synonymous of innovation.

• Be honest with our intentions: One of the irrecoverable things is time, if we show ourselves transparent, those who should be will come to us.

• Let's give our goodness and sweetness in every design: We are divine, perfect and complete, let's make our creations look naturally amazing.

• Help without expecting anything: Our existence exceeds the material (including money), let's by ready to offer a solution even if the reward is not tangible.

I invite you to try this conceptual design methodology, I am sure the results will be amazing.

Thanks for taking the time to read, I'd love to hear your perspective.

~ Agustín Sciotti.